Christina Ricci has quietly joined the cast of the highly anticipated Matrix sequel, tentatively titled The Matrix 4.
Ricci’s addition to the film’s acting ensemble comes from an updated press kit recently released by Warner Bros. Pictures, which serves as the distributor of the movie. Though details of her character are being kept under wraps, Ricci’s casting only adds to the mystery and excitement surrounding the return of the sci-fi action franchise 18 years after its last installment.
Ricci will be making her Matrix debut among many franchise newcomers, including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, and Jonathan Groff. Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves (Neo), Carrie Ann-Moss (Trinity), Jada Pinkett-Smith (Niobe), Daniel Bernhardt (Agent Johnson), and Lambert Wilson (The Merovingian) are all set to reprise their roles from previous installments of the film series in the upcoming sequel.
The Matrix 4 reunites Ricci with director Lana Wachowski, whom she previously worked with on the 2008 sports action comedy film Speed Racer. Lana co-directed and co-wrote the three previous Matrix films with her sister Lilly. Lilly, however, isn’t part of The Matrix 4, as she’s busy working as an executive producer on Showtime’s comedy series Work in Progress.
Plot details about The Matrix 4 are scarce, but Henwick told ComicBook.com last October that Lana employed a new filming style for the sequel, which could “change the industry again.”
“There are definitely moments on set where and I look at each other and we just go, Matrix 4. Those pinch me moments,” Henwick shared. “Lana is doing some really interesting things on a technical level in the same way that you know, she created a style back then. I think she’s going to change the industry again with this film. There’s some camera rigs that I’ve never seen before that we’re using. That’s probably all I can say for that.”
The Matrix 4 will open in U.S. theaters on December 22nd and will also stream digitally on HBO Max in the country for a month beginning on that same date. The first three films in the Matrix franchise are currently available to stream on Peacock. They, however, are expected to move to HBO Max once the sequel’s release draws nearer.
In addition to The Matrix 4, Ricci, who was most recently featured in the Duplass Brothers’ show Cinema Toast, will also star in the upcoming supernatural film Monstrous. She’s also part of the cast of Showtime’s coming-of-age drama Yellowjackets, which is scheduled to premiere later this year.